Hello All,

This is the prologue to my new story! It will be a crossover, and since Karlene is SUCH an important character in the new story I thought some of ya'll might want a tease. If you're interested, search A Court of Glass and Shadows! More chapters coming soon-ish!

Thanks for all the support!

Much love,

Court

Before:

Karlene:

Gathering together was a good idea. The bad idea was bringing an army. Meeting with the High Lords of Prythian and the kings of the East was a good idea. There were things stirring, people going missing. War was coming. As much as I would like it to be not true, war was very nearly upon us.

Everyone was meeting, inspecting troops, making plans for when the invading army truly came. The scouts that were stealing lone magic users, were nothing compared to what was coming, the ones caught said as much.

I was in the healing tents, everyone else was at a practice pitch over a mile away in a field. Remi and Cassidy were helping me arrange things for the sore muscles and bruises that would come in later.

"Mom," Remi called from edge of tent line. If the fear wasn't clear in his voice, well, the scent rose swiftly from all around.

The sky was dotted with black winged creatures. They looked for all the world like some giant cross between Attor's and Illryians. I knew, from Azriel's spies, that these were Ilken.

"The alarms, love, go ring them." I told Remi. It would make him a target though. "Cassidy, go, winnow the children out of here."

Both of them were gone before I could say another word.

I ran towards the middle of the camp, I would be able to hold a shield best there.

Ilken didn't respond to magic, but healing was something different. I was truly the only one who could do this.

I wrapped a great golden dome of around the camp, hopefully it would be large enough that the others would see it. There once was time that I couldn't hold a shield against even an Illyrian, but not anymore. I had trained and worked so that this shield would hold. I had stopped trying to make shields of other things, and used some odd form of my healing power to make a shield. The ilken were charred by healing powers and so were incinerated upon touching the shield.

The first of the ilken hit the shield and were charred. Still they threw themselves against it, hoping that one could get through.

Remi rang the alarms then everyone came running to the middle walkways where my children could see and winnow them. Cassidy and Remi would winnow somewhere far enough to be called safe. They took as many as he could winnow back to the ships. Armies didn't move alone, camp mothers, children, wives, elder advisors were all here.

Everyone else was on the field so far away.

Cassidy and Remi made trip after trip, and I could tell that they were lagging. They were still so young. Still they would not stop until they were completely out of power or they got everyone out.

Large and larger chunks fell from the sky, meaning more of the ilken were getting through before being charred.

I hated to tell my children to not come back, to not save the rest, but there was only one or two more groups left. I could hold it that long.

Remi flashed before me, said something my pounding ears couldn't hear, then disappeared again.

There was no one here. I was all alone. The others didn't come for us. They must have never seen my shield. I let it drop.

Everyone was alive and that was enough.

…

Finnin:

There was no sign of Aunt Karlene, but a few drops of blood. Remi had said his mother's nose was bleeding heavily before he left with the last group.

Tarquin was destroyed, and everyone else shaken. Aunt Karlene had delivered every High Lord's child since the last war. She was the most trusted, most kind person in this world.

Mother was convinced she was taken, not killed, Uncle Tarquin too.

I didn't know. I didn't know how we were going to beat the Valg, but having our most powerful healer stolen from us was not a good start.

We needed help.

Auntie Armen had been world jumping for fun, but she had found a world which might be able to help. It was directly next door, in a way that worlds were next door. Auntie Armen had also heard of Valg impact. They had survived this threat.

Bear would go. Bear always got to do the things that mattered. Bear would go and we would all rejoice when he brought back help.